William s



2 sneak-sheet 1.

' WILLIAM S. SMOOT.

Patented Nov- 7, I871.

Pie 120,788;

'2 SheeFs -Sheet 2. WILLIAM S. S MO OI.

Improvement in Breech-loading Fire-arms.

WmLIAn s. ,sn'oor, or llicit, NEW ironinAssicnon TO HIMSELF. nn Rana v .rneron-a'sons, orisAMErLAcn' I P QVEMENT IN BREECi-l-LQADIMG "FIRE-ARMS,

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 120,788, dated November 7, 1871.

To all'wh'om it ma amm- Q Be 'it'known that 1, WILLIAM S. jSMoo'nof Ilion, in the county of Herkim'er and State of New York, have invented certain new'anduseful-Improvementsin' Breech-Loading 'Eire Arms; and I 'do'he'reby declare the following to be a full, clear, exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing making a part of this specification, in which- Figures I,'2,'3,4=represent side views of the operative parts of the arm, in difl'erent positions, to show their workings. Fig. 5 represents an end view of the frame and such'of the parts as are'seen in that view. Fig. G'rp'resents' a per spective and an edge view of the ejector, showing the enlargement thereon for catching the flange of the cartridge-shell'and' flipping it out.- Figs. 7, 8, and 9 represent side views of the op-- erative parts somewhat modified in form or position, but accomplishing the same result as those in the other figures marked 1, 2, 3, and 4. Similar letters of reference, where they occur in the several separate figures, denote like parts of the fire-arm in the drawing.

This invention is designed as an improvement upon the'arm known' as the Remington breechloadingrifle, and relates to certain improvements, as follows: First, to a device by which, after the hammer is cooked and the breech is swung down to the loading position, the sear is thrown out of the full-cock notch and the hammer engaged with a secondary sear, so that when the breech is again closed the hammer shall drop under and lock the breech in its closed position, at the same time leaving the hammer in a safety position, from which it cannot be released to discharge the arm until after it is first brought to the full-cock. Second, to the formation of an inclined surface on the under side of the breechblock, acting in combination with the extractor and ejector-spring, for the purpose of lifting the point of the spring gradually over the shoulder on the extractor. Third, to the particular construction of the rotating extractor, consisting of a fiat disk with an enlarged head, forming a portion of the transverse section of the barrel of the arm.

In describing my invention I will first refer to that construction of the devices shown in Figs. 1 to 7, Sheet 1, of the drawing, in which A rep u-iesents the frame of the arm in which the breechblock B is pivoted, as at a; Below the breechblock Bthere is a lever, D, formedwith a hook, c, at its rear "end, and in such position-as to pass readily into the half-cock notch 1 of the'hannner 0 when the'latter is at full'cock. "The torward end of the lever D :r'ests against the under side of the breech block B. This lever D is pivoted to the guard-strap bya pin, 2, passing through a short slot,'3,- 'insaid lever, which is thus rendered capable of a limited longitudinal movement; and is kept in itsforwardposition'by a spring, J, as seen in'Figs'. l and 2. The trigger H and sear G are formed intwoseparat'e pieces,

but both pivoted upon thesame pin,-b. The scar G is formed with a shoulder, 41, at its rear end,

upon which the sore-spring K presses or rests. This shoulder 4 also serves to transmit the movement of the trigger H to the sear G when the trigger is pulled for the purpose of discharging the arm, there being a shoulder or projection, 5, on the trigger which acts with that 4 on the sear. The forward end of the sear is lengthened so as to pass under the breech-block B, while the trigger H is made just long enough to reach over and engage with the end of the lever, as seen at 6. The sear G lies at the side of the lever D, and is entirely disconnected from and uninfluenced by it. In front of the pivot-pin 1), upon which the trigger and sear are both hung, there is a lip, N, made upon the trigger, which overlies or overlaps a lip, M, Fig. 5, upon the sear, so that the movement of the trigger is communicated to the sear both in front and in rear of their mutual pivotal point, The cartridge-extractor E consists of a flat disk out out into the shape shown in the several figures, but more distinctly in Fig. 6, and having an enlargement, e, at its upper end or portion of a form to correspond in transverse section with the shape of the barrel ofthe arm at that point. This extractor may be used in connection with an ejectorspring, L, and in that case is hollowed out, as at d, to permit the spring to rest directly against the block to hold it in its closed position. I is the main or hammer-sprin g.

The operation is as follows: When the breech block is drawn down or back it depresses the front end of the lever D, thereby lifting its rear end and engaging it in the half-cock notch of the hammer c. As the breech-block reaches the end of its downward movement it strikes the;

sear Grand throws it out of the full-cock notch of the hammer, and allows the latter to rest against'the breech-block under the pressure of the main spring I. The cartridge being then inserted and the breech-block closed, the hammer is.,carried or forced under said breech-block by the action of the mainspring, thereby locking the breech-block. As the hammer passes under the breech-block it draws back the lever D and compresses the spring J, the purpose of said spring being to ,prevent the blow that would otherwise occur when the lever D reaches the ther modification of niy invention for the purpose of obtaining greater rapidity of manipulation may be made by shaping the hook 0 on the lever or secondary sear D so that it can be pulled out of the notch in the tumbler or hammer by pressure on the trigger, and by arranging the spring L to press against the breech-block B in such a manner as to throw it back when unlocked With these modifications the operation of the arm is as follows: The hammer being pulled back to the full-cock position, clear of the breech, the

latter is immediately swung open by the spring L, ejecting the cartridge and disengaging the sear from the full-cock notch. The cartridge being then inserted and the breech closed, the

hammer drops under the breech, lockjng'it in its closed position. I

Having thus fully described my invention,what

I claim therein as new is-- 1. The combination of the lever D, with its spring and sear-nose c, with the breech-blockB and hammer G, as and for the purpose substantially as described.

2; The combination of the inclined surface on the breech-block with the cut-away portions of the extractor and the spring I1, as and for the purpose described.

3. In combination with the extractor E, operating as herein described and represented, the enlarged head. '6, corresponding in shape with the rear end of the-barrel, as and forthe purpose described.

, WILLIAM S. SMOOT.v

Witnesses:

D. LEWIS,

o. L. Oseoon. 1's 

